Roosters v Dragons: Verrills to start; Host late withdrawal
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The Roosters have looked near unbeatable over the past four weeks and while the Dragons have had a pair of morale-boosting wins the standard goes up significantly this week.
The Roosters have looked every bit the defending premiers since the resumption and last week ended the run of the last unbeaten side in the competition, Parramatta, with an eventually-comfortable 24-10 result in round six.
The Dragons clawed themselves off the foot of the ladder with wins over the Sharks and Titans but will need another significant improvement to challenge Trent Robinson's squad.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 7 -
home Team
Roosters
3rd Position
away Team
Dragons
12th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
The rundown
Team news
Roosters: In a series of changes announced an hour before kickoff, Joseph Manu will start at fullback, Brett Morris in the centres and Sam Verrills at hooker. Jake Friend will start the match from the interchange bench. Lachlan Lam and Nat Butcher were the last two players cut from the squad. James Tedesco and Josh Morris were ruled out on Thursday. The Roosters have won five of their past six matches against the Dragons.
Dragons: Jacob Host was dropped from the squad after injuring a hamstring during the wam-up, with Korbin Sims coming into the 17. Tristan Sailor is the other player left out on game day. Jason Saab replaces the suspended Jordan Pereira on the wing, Blake Lawrie starts at prop, Josh Kerr goes back to the bench, and Jackson Ford replaces the Super League-bound James Graham on the interchange. Tim Lafai and Billy Brittain were the two players left out on the eve of the match. The Dragons have lost both their matches at Bankwest Stadium.
Match: Roosters v Dragons
Round 7 -
home Team
Roosters
away Team
Dragons
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Roosters is number 4 Joseph ManuFullback for Dragons is number 1 Matthew Dufty
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Winger for Roosters is number 2 Daniel TupouWinger for Dragons is number 2 Jason Saab
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Centre for Roosters is number 5 Brett MorrisCentre for Dragons is number 3 Euan Aitken
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Centre for Roosters is number 19 Mitchell AubussonCentre for Dragons is number 4 Zac Lomax
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Winger for Roosters is number 20 Ryan HallWinger for Dragons is number 5 Mikaele Ravalawa
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Five-Eighth for Roosters is number 6 Luke KearyFive-Eighth for Dragons is number 6 Corey Norman
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Halfback for Roosters is number 7 Kyle FlanaganHalfback for Dragons is number 7 Adam Clune
Forwards
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Prop for Roosters is number 8 Jared Waerea-HargreavesProp for Dragons is number 8 Blake Lawrie
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Hooker for Roosters is number 14 Sam VerrillsHooker for Dragons is number 9 Cameron McInnes
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Prop for Roosters is number 10 Siosiua TaukeiahoProp for Dragons is number 10 Paul Vaughan
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 11 Boyd Cordner2nd Row for Dragons is number 11 Tyson Frizell
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2nd Row for Roosters is number 12 Angus Crichton2nd Row for Dragons is number 12 Tyrell Fuimaono
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Lock for Roosters is number 13 Victor RadleyLock for Dragons is number 13 Trent Merrin
Interchange
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Interchange for Roosters is number 9 Jake FriendInterchange for Dragons is number 14 Ben Hunt
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Interchange for Roosters is number 15 Isaac LiuInterchange for Dragons is number 15 Josh Kerr
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Interchange for Roosters is number 17 Lindsay CollinsInterchange for Dragons is number 17 Jackson Ford
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Interchange for Roosters is number 18 Sitili TupouniuaInterchange for Dragons is number 18 Korbin Sims
Match Officials
- Referee: Grant Atkins
- Touch Judge: Dave Munro
- Touch Judge: Tim Roby
- Senior Review Official: Jared Maxwell
Last updated:
Key match-up
Kyle Flanagan v Adam Clune. Flanagan is easily the younger of the two No.7s while Clune is the less experienced with just three caps to his name. Flanagan had big shoes to fill with Cooper Cronk's retirement but has been heavily involved in his team's attack over the past four rounds.
Clune has been more understated but still important, as his steady hand has allowed Ben Hunt to flourish at dummy-half while skipper Cam McInnes has been just as impressive at lock as at hooker.
